Ignition device or system for gas and liquid fuel burners



1942- c. s. STUCKENHOLT 2,303,868 v IGNITIQN DEVICES OR SYSTEMS FOR GASAND LIQUID FUEL BURNERS Filed Feb. 12, 1941 /77' rap/W96 Patented Dec.1, 1942 I 'rdm'rronpnvrcs onsrs'rm FOB GAS AND uoum rum. BURNERS CasperS. Stuckenholt, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The W. J. SohoenbergerCompany, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February12,1941, Serial No. 378,657 7 Claims. (Cl. 175-115) This-inventionrelates to ignition devices or systems for gas-and liquid fuel burners.

Heretofore it has been the practice to provide a pilot burner adjacentthe main burner for lighting the latter. This pilot burner heats anoperating element which in turn actuates a gas valve controlling themain gas supply to the burner. This gas valve, preferably locatedadjacent the main burner, is in addition to the main shut oi! valve orgas cock.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an electric ignitionsystem in which the auxiliary gas valve now in use will be eliminated.Another object oi the invention is to provide electrically operatedlatch means iorpreventing actuation of the main shutof! valve or gascock to the position in which gas is supplied to the main burner, untila suillcient time interval has elapsed to provide for electric ignitionof the pilot burnen Still another object of the inventionis to providemeans whereby ,the gas valve can be returned to oil or closed positionirom full flow position when ilow of current to the electricallyoperated latch is shut oil. and the latch is in position to preventactuation of the valve toiull iiow position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as theensuing description is considered in connection with the accompanyingparts being broken away; 7

vlded with an operating stem 6 which projects freely through an aperture1 formed in the panel I. A latch member 8 secured on the stem .8 of thevalve 3 is'iormed with oppositely extending arms 8 and It, the end ofthe arm s being provided with a beveled latch member II while the armiii carries an electrical contact member i2.

'These members ii and i2 are adapted to co-' operate with a bi-metallicstop member or strip ll and'an electrical contact member :I I, thelatter two of which members being carried by a bracket ii in turnsuitably supportedmpon the valve 3. The electrical contacts i2 and I4are suitably lnsulated from the arm l0 andbracket I! respectively.

Positioned adjacent certain 'of the gas ports 35, of the burner 2, is apilot i! which receives a reduced supply oi gas from the valve I whenthe gas cock handle i8 is appropriately manipulated, 'in a manner psently described. Two coils i9 and 20, arrange in series and positionedin proximity to the pil t I1 and bi-metal strip ll respectively, areprovided, the former i'or igniting the pilot and/or main burner and thelatcircuit is completed through the closing of con- Figure 3 is an endview of the valve shown in closed position with the-electric circuitopen;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the valve by-pass openand the circuit closed;

; Figure 5 is an end -view 01' the valve showing the position assumed bythe latch and electrical contacts when the valve is in full openposition;

with the pilot lit and the circuit open; and V Figure 6 is an end viewof the latch arm. Rei'errin'g'more particularly to the drawing, i

denotes the front plate or panel of a gas stove or range. For purposesof illustration the range is shown as having an oven burner 2, but itwill be understood that the present invention is equalply pipe ormanifold l, connects at its inner discharge end with the air and gas miing chamber I, 01' the burner 2, through the medium of a conduit or pipeli and at its other end is proter for heating the strip, i3, when theelectric tact points i2 and it.

The hollow valve casing2l has an interior tapered. bore 22 whichrotatably receives atapered valve plug 23, having therein a transverseiull flow passageway 24, adapted for registry with an inlet bore orpassageway 25, formed as a part of the housing and a communicatinglongitudinal passageway 28 which is at all times in communication withthe outlet passageway 2'I. The communicating passageways 24 and 26 oithe valve plug just reierred'to are the main passageways and areutilized when either a iull flow or a reduced flow oi a fuel is desiredat the main burner.

The casing is also iorr'ned with an inwardly and upwardly extendingby-pass" leading i'rom the casing inlet passageway 25 and opening intothe casing bore 22 at a point inwardly spaced from the inlet passageway.An annular groove 28 formed 'in and extending almost completely aroundthe plug is adapted to be brought into-resistry with the outletend oitheby-pass 28 for supplying 8 small-quantity 0! gas to the pilot ll. Thusthe groove "20 is also adapted to place the by-pass in communicationwith a small transverse outlet opening or passage 80 extending throughthe casing wall in the same vertical plane with but spaced from theoutlet end of the by-pass 20 approximately 45. A small. gas pipe 3iconnected at one end to the small outlet port l l'and at its otherend tothepllot ri, supplies gasto the latter when the groove II. v-pass It andport 30 are in communication with eachother.'Whentheburnerisnotinuse,bothcoils II and 2| are cold and the hi-metalstrip It assumes a position in the path of travel of the latch memberIi, carried by the arm I, thus making it impossible to open the gas.valve 3 suflicientiy to supply gas to the main burner. However, move-.

latter position the inlet passage 24 in the plug is still out ofcommunication with casing inlet 2,sos,ees

Q for temporarily preventing further movement of circuit is closed, andcontact members associated with the valve, said contact members beingclosed passage 25, but by-pasfl II is in communication with the passageII and permits a small flow of gas to the pilot.- At the same time, thecontacts I: and H are closed and current issuppliedto the coils I! andI! through line wire 32 leading to one end of coil II and thence throughcoil I! andlinewireflleadingtocoilflmountedon stop member l3. Currentthen passes through coil 2., loose wire 31 to and through electricalcontacts I: and I4, and-thence out through wire 34, to a source of power(not shown) to complete the circuit, the coils being in series. Asbothcoils become hot, the ignition coil ll lights the pilot [1, thuspermitting the latter to ignit the main burner 2 when gas is supplied tothe latter, while the heater coil 2| heats the bi-metallic strip causingit to move out of the pathof and permitting the bi-meta'llic strip II tocool of! and, resume its normal position in the path of movement of thelatch member I l. However, when rotating the handle II in ananti-clockwise direction to close the gas valve, the beveled face ll Inmoving the: valve to full open a hers being opened-to break the circuitwhen the valve is moved to position to permit of a full flow of thelatch part II rides over the onset free end of the bi-metallic strip andconsequently the latch does not interfere with the closing of the valve.During the turning of the valve in a counterclockwise direction to oilposition, a full now. of l fuel to the pilot ll, through the groove 2.is

assured until the main burner is completely shut off. v

To assure positive ignition of pilot I! by coil I.

I before releasing latch mechanism, resistances of coils'ie and 20 canbe arranged so that cell" attains a temperature for ignition before coil2| supplies enough heat to release the latch mechainlet passage and saidmain burner and a passage communicating with saidpilot to open and closepasssage of fuel'from said source of supplythevalveai'terthevalvehasbeenrotatedtc position to supply iuel throughone of said passages to the pilot, an ignition circuit including 'inseries an ignition coil and aheating coil,-said ignition coil adapted toignite the pilot and said heater coil adapted to heat the latch and movethe same to an" inoperative'position when .the

for closing said circuit upon movement of the valve to position tosupply fuel through one of the passages to the pilot, and said contactmembers being opened to break the circuit when the valve is moved toposition to permit of a full flowrof fuel through said main'burnerpassage to said main burner whereby said bi-metailic latch will cool andreturn to operative valve latching position. i

2. An apparatus of the kind described'comprising in combination with amain burner, a pilot adjacent the burner for lighting the same, a valvehaving an inlet passage communicating with a source of supply, a plugrotata'bly positioned in said valve, said plug having a main burner ecommunicating with said valve inlet passage and said main burner and apassage communicating with said pilot to open and close passage oii'uelfrom said source of supply a to said main burner and pilot,a bi-metalliclatch for temporarily preventing further movement of i circuit isclosed, and contact members associated with the valve, said contactmembers being closed for closing the said circuit upon movement of thevalve to position to supply fuel through one of the passages to thepilot, and said contact memof fuel through said main burner passage tosaid main burner whereby said bi-metallic latch will cool and return tooperative valve latching position, said latch mechanism being such thatmovement of the valve from full iiow burner position to closed positionis not interfered with;

large gasconduit and a small gas conduit leadingi'romsaidvaivecasingtosaidburner saidpilotreapectiveimlaidaheatingcoilfor igniting saidpilotandicr heat to said main burner andpilot, a bi-metallic latch ing said bl-mgtfluc 09 member M W .-:-.5

ascaees 4 l the same to move out of the path of rotation of the pilotand separate means in said circuit said latch member when the circuit isclosed and thus permitting the valve plug to be moved to full flowposition with-the main burner passage communicating with the large gasconduit, and contact members associated with the valve for closing thesaid circuit when the valve is moved to position to supply gas throughthe inlet passage communicating with said source, of supply, a-rotatablevalve plug in said casing, conduits leading from said valve casing tosaid burner and pilot respectively, said plug having a mainbumer passagecommunicating with said valve inlet passage and one of said conduits anda passagecommunicating with the other of said conduits adapted to openand close passage of fuel from said source of supply to said main burnerand pilot, a latch to prevent said'valve being moved into a full onposition to supply gas through one of the conduits to the main burner,said latch including a latch member mounted upon and rotatable with thevalve plug adapted to cause said latch to move to an inoperativeposition when the circuit is closed and to permit return of said latchto operative position when the circuit is open, and contact membersassociated with the valve for closing the said circuit upon movement ofthe valve to position to V I supply fuel through one of the conduits tothe pilot, and said contact members being opened to break the circuit.when the valve is moved to position to permit a full flow of fuelthrough one of the conduits to said main burner.

6; An apparatus of the kind described co prising in combination with amain burner, a pilot adjacent the burner for lighting the same, a sourceof fuel supply, a valve casing having an inlet passage communicatingwith said fuel supply, a rotary valve plug in said casing, conand abi-metallic stop member arranged in the path of rotation of said latchmember, an ignition circuit including in series an ignition coil and aheating coil for igniting said pilot and for heating said bi-metallicstop member and causing the same to move out of the path of rotation ofsaid latch member when the circuit is closed full flow position with themain burner passage andthus permitting the valve to be moved tocommunicating with one of the conduits, and a contact member carried bythe latch and a contact member carried by the casing, said contactmembers adapted for closing the said circuit when the valve is moved toposition to supply duits leading from said valve casing to said burnerand pilot respectively, said plug having a main burner passagecommunicating with said inlet passage and one of said conduits and apassage communicating with the other of said conduits adapted to openand close passage of fuel from' said source of supply to said mainburner and pilot, a bi-metallic latch for temporarily preventing furthermovement of the valve after the valve has been rotated to position, tosupply fuel through one of the conduits to the pilot, an ignitioncircuit for igniting the ,pilot and including I means for heating thelatch to move the same to an inoperative position when the circuit isclosed, and contact members associated with the a valve for closing thesaid circuit upon movement of the valve to position to supply fuelthrough one of the conduits to the pilot, said contact members beingopened tobreak the circuit when the valve is moved to position to permitof a full flow of fuel through one of the conduits to said main burnerwhereby said bi-metallic latch will cool and return to operative valvelatching position,

' '7. An apparatus of the kind described compris- I ing in combinationwith a main burner, a pilot gas through one of theconduits to saidpilot,

and said contact members being opened to break said circuit when thevalve is moved to position to permit of a full flow of gas through oneof the conduits to said main burner whereby said iii-metallic stopcoolsand moves into position in the path of rotation of said latch member.

5. An apparatus of the kind described comprising in combination with amain burner, a pilot adjacent the burner for lighting the same, :asource of fuel supply, a valve casing having an inlet passagecommunicating with said source of. supply. arotatable valve plug in saidcasingconduits leading from said valve casing to said burner and pilotrespectively, said plugfhavins a main burner communicating-with saidadjacent the burner for lighting the same, a

' source'of fuel supply, a valve casing having an inlet passagecommunicating with said fuel supp1y, a rotary valve plug in said casing,a largegas conduit and a small gas conduit leading from said valvecasing to said burner and pilot respectively, said plug having a mainburner communicating with said valve inlet e and said large gas conduitand a passage 'communil eating-with said small gas conduit adapted toopen and close passage of fuel from said source of supply tosaid mainburner, and pilot, aletch normally operative for temporarily prevent!further movement of the valve after the valve and of said conduits andapassage communicating with the other of said conduits adapted to openand close passage of fuel from said sourceoi'supply to said main burnerand pilot, latch menus adapted to prevent fur-- ther movement ofthevalve to a position to sup.-

"ply a full flowofgas to the main burneuwh'en the valve reaches theposition for Supplying fuel "*flirou gh one of the conduits to'thepilot, an electrical circuit, meansin said circuit for igniting hasbeenv rotated to position to 'supply fuel through the small conduit tothe pilot, an igni- I tion circuit for igniting the pilot and includingmeans forv causing the latch to move to an inoperative position when thecircuit is closed and said means is energized, and contact membersassociated .with' thevalve for closing the said circuituponmovement ofthe valve to position to supply fuel through the small conduit to thepilot, said contact members'being opened to break the circuit-when the.valve is moved to position to permit of a full flow of fuel through saidlarge eonduitxto said main burner wherebysaid latch will return tooperative valve latching position.

. CASPERdBTUCKINHOLfl,

